


The Unforgotten Love

by NikkiDoodle



Series: You're Just A Broken Angel [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Awkward Sexual Situations, Blood, Blood and Gore, Curses, Dark Magic, Explicit Language, F/M, Fights, Magic, Magic-Users, Mild Language, Sexual Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-09
Updated: 2014-12-14
Packaged: 2018-02-12 10:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2106435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikkiDoodle/pseuds/NikkiDoodle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Time changes people for better or for worse. But one thing that time never manages to change is the love and hope you have in someone. Though Clara Evans seems to be without her dearest friend, Remus Lupin, she is thrown into a world of utter confusion and danger as it's her job to once again keep Mr. Potter safe when his name is sudden drawn from the Goblet of Fire.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. We Both Knew This Type of Life Didn't Come With Instrutions

Clara and Remus hadn't spoken to one another after that incident in the office. She and Remus had both been let go after Snape had let it slip to some students that Remus was indeed a werewolf. Both Clara and Remus returned home, while riding the train in different cars, and went their separate ways as Remus returned to his home and Clara to her own apartment. Clara had learned that Sirius had been saved and was now back in hiding from the Ministry, as they did not believe that Sirius was innocent, due to there being no proof. Peter, their only proof, had managed to slip away that night that Remus had transformed into a werewolf during the full-moon and therefore the evidence was taken with him. Nobody knew as to where Peter had scampered off to in the middle of that night, but Clara and Harry both knew the truth as to what really happened to James and Lily that night. Months passed and Clara found herself thinking more and more about Remus. She wanted so badly to apologize to him for acting the way she had. But, she had embarrassed herself so badly that she just couldn't think of showing her face in front of Remus again.  
  
She sighed, sitting at her desk and looking outside to the night time sky. The moon was waxing and it was so beautiful to see. If only she didn't hate the moon so much, maybe she would actually be able to enjoy it fully instead of only seeing it for something that had a deathly beauty to it. She sighed, pushing herself away from her desk and walking over to her dresser to prepare herself for bed. As she started to chance out of her clothes she stopped suddenly. She could have sworn she heard a sound just outside of her window right along the street below. She raised a brow as she thought she heard muffled voices and decided to see just what was going on outside of her window. Slowly making her way toward her one window in her apartment she peeked her head through the curtains of her window and placed her face close to the glass and trying to see down below in the streets in the dark of the night. Clara's eyes caught site of three cloaked figures that stood down below just right in front of her window.  
  
She cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes, just what in the world were those people out there doing? She couldn't see anything as the black robes draped over their bodies. Then, when they raised their heads, they all wore silver masks to hide their faces. Her eyes widened when the one in the middle lifted their wand toward her window and she quickly jumped away from the sheet of glass. A large fireball came shooting out from the tip of their wand and right through her window, igniting her whole apartment on fire and leaving Clara Evans in a very bad position.

* * *

"It's rather homey." Clara said, a slight smile on her lips as she entered in through the door with Sirius. Clara had nothing but a single bag in her hands. This was the only thing that was left after her apartment was burned to the ground the other night by who she had recognized as Death Eaters. Sirius chuckled as he glanced around his old childhood home with her. Clara had managed to find and get in contact with Sirius Black shortly after this had happened. He insisted that she'd stay with him until she had found another place where she could live on her own. She accepted the offer even though she felt slightly bad about intruding on Sirius and his home. He reassured her though that it was no bother and would in fact do him good to have someone to talk to while he was cooped up here in hiding.  
  
"Oh yes, indeed." Clara turned to Sirius to see a smirk on his lips, knowing that he was joking with her by the tone in his voice. Sirius had long since changed out of the rags which he was dressed in when he was locked away in Azkaban for those long 13 years of his life. He dressed rather nicely now and his hair had been washed and combed to where he was much better looking. The color had also returned to his face, which was a change from the paleness that he once had on his skin tone. He had also gained his normal weight back, no longer was he lanky like before and instead now was rather muscular and actually looked more like a human being rather than a rag doll.  
  
Her eyes locked with his grey ones and she couldn't help but find herself lost within them. Ever since that night back at Hogwarts, Clara couldn't help but find herself staring at him more often than she should have. He was a mystery to her, and his eyes were something of that right out of a book. The way they were shaped and the way they held that small twinkle whenever he looked her way. Sirius's smirk dropped as it turned into a true smile as he leaned forward and took the bag from Clara's hands which caused her to remove her eyes from his and  instead onto the bag, which was no in her hands.  
  
"Come, I'll show you where you'll be staying." he told her, a slight excitement in his voice while sliding around her in the very cramped hallway. Clara followed him through the hallway and up the stairs to the third floor of the home where he brought her to a door which read-  
  
" _Regulus Arcturus Black_?" Clara questioned, wondering just whose name this was written on the plack on the wooden door. Sirius turned to Clara as he slowly pushed the bedroom door open.  
  
"My younger brother's old room. It's the nicest room in the house so I figured that you would enjoy it best while you had your stay." He explained. Clara nodded, noticing the sudden change in Sirius's voice as he now spoke to her. It seemed saddened and made her wonder if there was something between him and his brother that she was obviously unaware about. Sirius walked into the room as Clara followed him inside. It was a very nice room, very big, and the bed looked very soft. Sirius placed her bag down on the bed before turning and catching her look around the room in awe.  
  
"I can't thank you enough Sirius." Clara told him. Her eyes traveled to all the wondrous things that laid in the room, there was so much that Clara couldn't even catch everything in one take. Sirius gave her a warm smile and walked toward her with open arms before he reached out and placed his hands on her arms softly. He looked down at her, happy to see that she was happy with what he had to offer her.  
  
"There's no need to thank me. You've done more than enough to help me, I just thought this would be a small something for you." Sirius said, patting her arms softly and looking down at her. He was referring to when she had found him at Hogwarts and had helped him when Remus had turned and attacked him, wounding him rather badly. If Clara hadn't acted in the swift way that she had then things could have turned out very differently very fast. Again, she found herself drawn into his eyes and she couldn't find a way to pull herself away from them. There was just something about them that put her at ease, something just like Remus's eyes would do for her in the same manner.  
  
"I'm going to head downstairs for a bit and allow you to get settled in. If you need me, I'll be downstairs in the kitchen. It's the first door on your left when you come to the bottom of the first floor." Sirius informed her as he allowed her arms go. She nodded, turning to watch him leave the room and allowed her freedom to explore the room and the rest of the house as she pleased. Clara took this moment to put here things away and explore her room a tad bit. She found various trinkets that informed her a little bit more about Sirius's brother. He was sorted into Slytherin, much unlike Sirius - who was placed in Gryffindor - and he also liked to dabble in the Dark Arts like most Slytherins do. Clara went to explore the rest of the house and found the simple rooms such as the bathroom, sitting room, and even Sirius's room - which was right down the hall from her room - which gave her a slight bit of comfort as she was still on edge about the attack that had happened.  
  
Returning to her new room, she checked the clock and noticed just how late it had gotten in such the short amount of time that she had been here. Needing some sleeping attire - no thanks to those stupid Death Eaters - Clara searched the room before she opened the closet door and found the one piece of clothing that might actually fit her and be somewhat comfortable to sleep in tonight.

* * *

Once Clara had changed into the only piece of comfortable thing that would fit her right, she headed downstairs to find Sirius. Seeing that the door was open she went ahead and turned to find the kitchen. She looked around at the layout and noticed that Sirius's family certainly was anything but poor. The layout was very large and the kitchen looked as if it had been well kept with the type of stove and fridge that it had inside, granted that it was older equipment - which told her that it had been a while since anyone else had lived here - but it was nice none the less and certainly something she could never afford on her budget.  
  
"So, I guess that I owe you an apology?" Clara asked from the doorway to the kitchen. Sirius was currently reading a paper that seemed rather new as the picture on the front showed something of the Ministry saying something about " _This Year, Hogwarts Hosts The Tri-Wizard Tournament!_ "  And had a picture of Dumbledore on the front page next to some type of Goblet, which Clara guessed was the  _Goblet of Fire_. Sirius glanced up from his paper and instantly noticed what she was dressed in but he gave her a small smile and shook his head.  
  
"Whatever for?" Sirius didn't seem to understand what she meant and watched her enter in through the door and took a place at the long kitchen table right across from him. She looked at him before her eyes found themselves on the table as she spoke, glancing up at Sirius when she finished her reasoning.  
  
"For putting myself on you by having to stay here." Sirius frowned deeply. Placing his paper down on the table he then reached out and placed his hands over hers and held them as if to reassure her that there was no need for such things.  
  
"Nonsense, there's not need for you to apologize. You needed a place to stay, it's the least I can do for you Clara Evans." Clara looked away, knowing that Sirius was right. It was those stupid Death Eaters' fault in the first place, burning down her house and then attacking her like that when they did. It just wasn't fair, all her life she was trying to be killed off by someone or had her heart broken. Why couldn't she just have a normal life for once? Clara frowned and sighed, tired after everything that had happened this past week.  
  
"Besides, I know I'll enjoy your company." Clara's eyes dashed up from the table and locked with Sirius's grey ones. She had caught a hint of something in his voice, but she ended up just waving it off as nothing but a slip of the tongue.  
  
"However, I do not enjoy your choice of color." Clara couldn't help but chuckle. She knew that Sirius was referring to the Slytherin robe that she had wrapped around her body. She didn't blame him, she didn't enjoy it all too much herself as she herself was sorted into Gryffindor when she was attending Hogwarts.  
  
"Yes, well, as nice as it is in terms of comfort it's certainly not my house colors." This little bit seemed to trigger a mass conversation between the two of them. The conversation started off with Clara explaining that she was sorted into Gryffindor and her life as she went through school. She told Sirius about how after Jame's and Lily's death Remus had taken her in and raised her, teaching her everything that he knew about magic and how to use it wisely. She then went on to tell him how she had mastered spells to where she didn't even need to say their name aloud in order to cast them, and that she was also an Animagus; a Doe at that.  
  
"Which reminds me," Clara said, remembering how Sirius had attacked her in the forest not too far from her house last year. Clara pulled the robe down just far enough to expose her naked skin and show Sirius the rather fainted bite mark on her shoulder from where he had gotten her when he tried to take her down in the forest.  
  
"Why did you attack me that day in the forest right outside of Yorkshire?" Sirius's eyes narrowed slightly, he seemed slightly upset by the look of the mark on her shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry Clara. I honestly didn't know it was you. I was hungry and hadn't eaten for days. I actually hadn't figured out you were an Animgaus until I noticed you were smart and ran off in the direction toward the town inside of deeper into the forest like any wild animal would have done." Sirius informed her, slowly moving his hand over the robe and pulling it down slightly further to reveal the large and ugly bite mark that Remus had given her. Clara held her robe together tightly as to keep it from showing too much that she did not want Sirius to see of her that would most likely embarrass the both of them.  
  
"Remus told me what happened." Sirius said, causing Clara's eyes to droop slightly as the memories of that night returned, and then the day after when they had their first actual fight.  
  
"Is this why you haven't spoken to him about your attack the other night?" Clara pulled away from Sirius's reach and closed up her robes in a somewhat hurry. She tied the belt tighter than before and looked at Sirius, he knew that he had touched based on a subject that he should have just left alone.  
  
"Remus is an idiot." She told him as she shook her head and sighed.  
  
"He blamed himself for my stupid mistakes and then became angry with me when I tried to tell him that I understood he didn't mean to hurt me. He didn't have control over himself when he was changed, I don't blame him and it was my own fault I had gotten hurt because I wasn't strong enough." Sirius sat there and listened to her explain about her and Remus's fight in the office. How she had tried to convince him that she would be fine, but he started to push her away and said those cruel words to her that had crushed her and got her into thinking about what she had done wrong.  
  
"After knowing Remus for such a long time, it sounds like to me that he just care about you greatly and doesn't want to see you get hurt again."  Sirius told her. Clara shook her head, she could take care of herself. She knew that now she shouldn't have thought that Remus could be tamed while he was transformed, but only having herself there for him. Sirius placed his hands over Clara's own, which were resting on the table after she had finished fixing her robes.  
  
"Trust me, Clara. I know Remus and he isn't the type of man to just push people away. He's lived a hard life, he has reasons for everything that he does." Sirius knew that Remus had suffered more than anyone else with the type of life that he had lived. Being cursed as a werewolf, never being able to be accepted by others around him, having his loved one die or be taken away from him, not being able to hold a job that was good enough due to the fact that he didn't want others to know that he was a werewolf. There was so much that had happened with Remus since he was young, and Sirius was ever amazed that Remus was able to find what little happiness he had found within Clara. This young girl that sat before him was something truly amazing and was coming to find out that she was so much like Lily and James.  
  
Clara was kind like Lily and didn't judge others and protected the ones close to her. She was brave like James and undoubtedly smart like him as well and very gifted as she was able to learn spells that should have been far beyond her reach at her age. But she was still able to do all of this and more and it was all amazing to Sirius. But, just as he said, Remus had reasons for doing the things he did when he did them. Sirius had seen this as an act to try to protect Clara from coming to any further harm by Remus. By the way Remus talked about her so highly, Sirius knew that Remus cared deeply for the girl and even went on to question just how deeply this care for the young one went. Remus had indeed raised her after the deaths of James and Lily, but just how closely attached had Remus grown to Clara after all these years?  
  
"Don't be upset with him, Clara. He's doing what he sees is best for the both of you." Clara sighed. She knew that Sirius was most likely right about Remus, he had known his friend for such a long time and knew him better than she herself knew him. Clara looked up at Sirius and slowly nodded her head as she tried to understand what Sirius had told her. But it pained her so much, why couldn't Remus had went a different way about everything instead of tearing her apart in the way he did? Couldn't there have been a different way that he could have went about telling her that he needed space for a while as he needed time to think or to do whatever it was that he needed to do?  
  
"Now, it's rather late and I believe that you should turn in for the night." Sirius told her, checking the clock and seeing just how late it had become all thanks to their little nightly talk. Clara's eyes widened when she noticed the time, not expecting it to be that late or should she say early in the morning. Sirius nodded with a warm smile and bit her good-night before pulling the paper back up to cover his face as she walked away from him.  
  
"Right, I'll talk to you in the morning." Clara told him, pushing herself up from the table and heading toward the door. Stopping right before she started up the stars and instead glanced up them and stood there with her hand on the door frame. Clara chewed on he bottom lip and turned to look at Sirius, who still had his head hidden in the newspaper.  
  
"Do you think Remus knows where I am?" Clara asked out of the blue, causing Sirius to lower his paper and look her way.  
  
"I don't want him to randomly show up at my apartment and find that it's been burned to the ground." Sirius couldn't help but smile harder than before in the way Clara tried to explain her question. He knew that she was worried about him and used that question to cover up the fact that she was trying to continue to talk to him about Remus.  
  
"I informed him shortly after you contracted me about the whole ordeal. He knows your safe and that you're here with me." Clara nodded, feeling somewhat of a wave of relief wash over her before she turned and ran her way up the stairs. Sirius couldn't help but chuckle and return to his newspaper and continue reading where he had left off before Clara had decided to come downstairs for a nighttime visit.

* * *

  
Clara one day decided to roam the halls of her new residence. It was a rather large home, but it was the perfect place for her and Sirius - as Sirius often told her. She smiled as she ran her hands along the walls of the old hallway and went to turn to go back down stairs, only to run into a rather fowl mood creature.  
  
"Mudblood! Filthy little Mudblood in my Lady Black's home!" Clara quickly did a doubt take into the room where a very old looking house elf started to rush Clara. She backed away rather startled for she had not known that there was anyone else in the house aside from herself and Sirius Black. The house elf came closer as he advanced out into the hallway and acted as if he was going to attack her.  
  
"Kreacher!" Sirius's voiced called out while Clara heard fast footsteps running up the stairs. The house elf paused as if trying to figure out if he should continue his advance or back off, but his decision was made when Sirius arrived at the landing where both Clara and the house elf stood. Sirius rushed in front of Clara and pointed his finger down at the house elf and started yelling at the top of his lungs.  
  
"How dare you address her in such a manner, Kreacher! You shall be punished!" Clara grabbed hold of Sirius's raised arm, keeping him from doing anything further to the startled house elf. Sirius glanced behind him at her, seeing her green eyes made him stop his actions. Clara shook her head, not wishing for the elf to be punished for calling her a Mudblood.  
  
"Leave him alone, he didn't mean anything by it. Let's go downstairs, Sirius." Clara pleaded, hoping that she could just get him downstairs and away from Kreacher. She didn't want anyone punished, she figured from what the house elf had said, his late master was not very found of people like herself. Sirius nodded, agreeing before turning back to Kreacher and shooting him a look that meant  _"knock it off, or else."_  before Sirius took Clara's arm and lead her back downstairs toward the kitchen.  
  
"I am terribly sorry about him. He was never kind to others for as long as I could remember." Sirius chuckled, trying to explain. Clara shook her head, her hand squeezing lightly onto Sirius's arm as they took the stairs one step at a time together.  
  
"It's alright, I understand. House elf's tend to their master's wishes, and by his age I know that you most certainly weren't always his master." Clara said, looking up at Sirius, who looked down at her with a soft smile.  
  
"My late mother, was never a very kind woman..." Sirius started but it seemed that the words just drifted off his tongue and into space as his mind turned at the thought of his mother.  
  
"I have a question for you Clara." Sirius said, looking at the woman. Clara glanced up from the ground to peek at Sirius behind her hair that curtained around her face to give her a rather mysterious look.  
  
"What do you think happened to Remus that made him attack you?" Sirius questioned, recalling the night back at Hogwarts when she had jumped in front of Harry to save him; attacking Remus in the process. Clara narrowed her eyes as she recalled the night when Remus had chased her through the woods and took her to the ground and bit into her shoulder. She didn't really know herself for the reason behind why Remus had attacked her. Before, when she would transform on nights and go out with Remus while he was a werewolf, it would calm him and the two of them would merely linger in the woods until daybreak. But, that night something changed in Remus that had him attack her out of the blue. She figured it was because she had attacked him first, but that was the only thing that went through her mind as an answer.  
  
"Well, when he went to attack Harry, I kicked him back and he went tumbling down the hillside. Maybe because I was hostile with him it caused his mind to be even more clouded and that's why he attacked." Sirius and Clara took a seat at the kitchen table as they had walked into the kitchen. Sirius sighed, just as worried as Remus was when he found out that Clara had been bitten by Remus while in his werewolf state. Would Clara now be infected and change at the full-moons just like Remus? Sirius didn't know any of the answers to these questions in his head, but he knew that the only way they would know for sure about her condition would be to wait for a week of the full-moon and just hope and pray that she hadn't been infected.  
  
"Speaking of Harry, there's something that I need to tell you Clara." Sirius spoke, drawing Clara's attention now more than ever. Sirius's face told her that whatever it was, it wasn't good.  
  
"I spoke with Harry on the matter of his name being placed in the Goblet of Fire, and he said that he did not place his name nor did he have someone else place it in the Goblet for him." Clara felt her stomach turn at this newly found information. She had indeed known that Harry had been drawn to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, but she didn't know that he hadn't willingly entered. This worried Clara that someone was out to get him, because it was not unnatural for people to die in the tournament. This was the last thing that Clara needed added onto the pile of mess that she already had to worry about.  
  
"Someone's out to get him then?" Sirius could hear the panic in her voice and he quickly shook his head and placed his hands on both her shoulders, shaking her lightly as if trying to reassure her.  
  
"We're not for sure yet," Sirius told her, trying his best to calm her down. "But, we don't know a reason why they put his name into the Goblet." Clara took a deep breath and sighed. Harry and herself didn't need this type of thing right now; nobody needed this right now. Clara looked away from Sirius and even though he tried to reassure Clara that Harry was going to be fine, she couldn't help but worry about the boy. After her sudden Death Eater attack and now Harry's name being put into the Goblet-- wait.  
  
"Do you think that the Death Eaters attack on myself and Harry's name being put in the Goblet are one of the same?" Sirius's eyes widened slightly, he hadn't thought of that idea.  
  
"I don't know, but we will figure this out." He told her. Clara shook her head and slowly stood up from the table and looked out through the hallway to the front door. She had to make sure that everything was going to be okay with Harry because only Merlin knows what would happen to her if something that she could have prevented had happened to Harry.  
  
"I have to go make sure that he's okay. I can't hide out there any longer." Clara said, looking down at Sirius as he jumped to his feet and placed his hands in hers. She looked down at his much larger hands in her smaller ones, they were warm and very rough in her soft and cold ones. Clara's eyes then turned up to be greeted by Sirius's, and she felt her heart skip a beat by the beauty she found within them. Sirius knew that she was worried deeply for the boy and knew that there was no way he could stop her from going. She wasn't a wanted wizard like he was and she was able to go where she pleased, so he couldn't stop her from leaving.

* * *

  
"I won't be gone long," she told him, putting some of her things in her bag and closing it up tightly. Sirius was standing in the doorway to her room as he watched her pack in a hurry as she was anxious to get to Hogwarts to try to figure out just what was going on over there.  
  
"Just long enough to get to the bottom of all of this." Sirius pushed himself off of the door frame when Clara had dropped a few of her things as she was frantic to put them in her bag. She groaned and bent down to pick them up in a hurry as Sirius watched her running around the room like a wild animal.  
  
"You need to calm down, Clara. Acting like a loony will do you no good in helping Harry." Clara stopped her running about and looked at Sirius and sighed deeply.  
  
"I know, I know! I just have this gut feeling that something bad is going to happen if I don't figure out what's going on!" Sirius stood next to Clara's bed as he watched as she slightly slowed down as Sirius talked to her while she packed.  
  
"Listen to me Clara. Nothing bad is going to happen alright? You're going to go there and you're going to figure out what's going on, because you're a smart girl." Clara stopped her shuffling about all together and looked down at the things in her hands. Her gaze softened and her wore a deep frown as her mind began to turn as she gave a soft snort and dropped the things into her bag.  
  
"That sounds like something Remus would have told me." Sirius frowned, knowing just how much Clara was missing Remus. Though Remus didn't talk to her directly, Sirius had been keeping in touch with him and they had been exchanging words with each other about the events that were happening through out the wizarding world. But Sirius found himself being surprised as Remus often asked about how Clara was doing, and not just about how she was doing but her health, if she was happy, and if she was still upset with himself. It seemed that Remus was upset with himself as he had put them both through a very big and long separation with the fight that he had brought them both into that last night at Hogwarts.  
  
 _"If I could take back what I said, I would do it in a heart beat."_  Remus's words echoed in Sirius's head as he recalled their last conversation about Clara.  
  
"Just make sure that you don't forget to take care of yourself as you're trying to help the others." Sirius told her, causing her to look up at him and give him a faint smile before she closed her bag and slung it over her shoulder.  
  
"I know, don't worry about me. I can't handle myself, and besides I heard that Mad-Eye is there at Hogwarts this year. I'm sure that with his help I can figure out just what is going on." Sirius nodded, knowing how close Clara and Mad-Eye had become when she found out about the older man. There was just something about Mad-Eye that drew Clara in to him and nobody could land a finger on what it was that brought Clara so close to the crazy old man. Perhaps that was just it, Mad-Eye was crazy and Clara was just sane enough to keep him in check. Sirius couldn't help but shake his head at the thought of Clara keeping Mad-Eye - one of the most powerful ex-Aurora of his time - being kept in check by Clara Evans one of the nicest girls that anyone had ever met.  
  
"Just make sure you keep your eyes open. If someone is on the inside we don't know who they are or why they have done this to Harry." Sirius warned as Clara walked past him and headed out of her bedroom. She turned around as she kept on walking and shot Sirius a smile as she looked him in the eyes one last time before turning back around and left him standing alone in the room. Sirius stood there for a moment thinking to himself about everything that had happened this past month. Between Clara's near death and having her apartment suddenly distorted by a group of Death Eaters, and Harry's name being placed in that Goblet something foul was in the air. Sirius sighed before he headed back downstairs, he need to send word to Remus about everything that had been happening, even though he knew it would worry Remus to no end.  
  
But maybe with this all of this happening it would be just enough to open Remus's eyes to Clara and have him return if he knew what was going on. Sirius knew that he had to try something to have Remus return from his hiding spot and talk to Clara. Because Sirius didn't know just how much more the poor girl could take being away and not speaking to Remus anymore. He worried about her greatly, Sirius was watching as Clara was slowly starting to change and it was such a great change that Sirius wasn't even sure if Clara noticed.  
 

Whatever happened, Remus had to start talking to Clara again before something happened that both Remus and Clara would regret for the rest of their lives.

 


	2. I'll Put All My Trust In You

It was strange returning to Hogwarts without Remus by her side. Clara walked along the large empty halls alone as she made her way toward the Great Hall. She had wrote to Dumbledore ahead of time and he agreed for her to return as a "special guest" in the Tri-Wizard. He knew that she was trying to get down to finding why Harry's name had been drawn from the Goblet of Fire. Harry had been sure to tell Dumbledore that he had not put his name nor did he have anyone else place it in the Goblet. Harry had yet to have his first task, but Clara was still worried about the whole thing. Someone had planned this and they were either trying to kill Harry, or they had some type of plans for him later; whatever it was Clara was sure she would figure it out before either could happen.  
  
"And now, I would like to welcome the return of Professor Clara Evans as she is our special guest during the Tri-Wizard Tournament!" Dumbledore's booming voice called out as Clara entered through the large doors into the Great Hall. There were many claps and even some cheering as she walked through the room with her luggage. Last year she was told that she and Remus were one of the best DADA teachers they had ever had; their last two weren't hardly any count. Clara walked up to Dumbledore and embraced him in a hug before thanking him warmly and was shown to her seat next to Mad-Eye. When she took her seat she glanced over at him and gave him a large smile and greeted him rather warmly after not seeing him for several years, after the Order had went their separate ways.  
  
"Hello Mad-Eye, it's been a while. How have you been?" Mad-Eye's gaze linger on her for a moment after her question before his eyes went else where and returned to her.  
  
"Clara Evans." he greeted, not really saying anything further. Clara chuckled slightly, Mad-Eye had always been strange and distant and also never spoke all that much. She found that to be why she and he had gotten along so well together sometimes, they never really spoke which caused her to not have to say much.  
  
The feast went on and shortly after the ending of it Clara found herself being stopped out in the middle of the hall by Harry. She and him both embraced in a hug, glad and happy to see one another again.  
  
"Professor, how have you been?" Clara smiled and ran her hands around Harry's head before landing on both sides of his face and she patted his cheeks lightly.  
  
"Harry, please call me Clara, I'm family after all. I'm also no longer your Professor anyhow." Harry couldn't help but smile and hug her again once more. She embraced the younger man once again before pulling away and smiling largely.  
  
"How have you been, Harry? I'm sure this whole Tournament has your nerves on edge?" Harry nodded. It was true, he was very uneasy about the whole situation that he had been thrown into so suddenly. But, Clara's hands found their way to his shoulders and she gave him a small squeeze that reassured him somewhat.  
  
"Don't worry Harry, I'll get down to the bottom of this and I'll find out what's going on. I promise." Harry smiled softly and nodded again. Clara's smile widened and she patted the boy on the back and ushered him to his dorm. Though the night was coming close to an end, Clara still had something that she had to discuss with someone and so she made her way to the DADA classroom. She walked through the empty moonlit halls and to the old room where she had made many wonderful memories with Remus Lupin as of last year.  
  
She would have thought that they had both grown closer than ever before, but she soon came to find out that it only caused the both of them to grow apart so quickly and it all came to a bad end. Walking through the dark classroom, Clara walked up the steps to the office and knocked on the door and only had to wait but a second before she was told to "enter" into the room. When she opened the door, she was greeted by Mad-Eye's eyes as he watched her shut the door behind her quietly and with a soft click of the door closing she turned to the older man and stood there by the door.  
  
"There's a great many things that we need to talk about, Mad-Eye." Clara said, slowly making her way to the middle of the room. Mad-Eye leaned back in his office chair behind his desk as his eyes shifted around the room before locking back with Clara's deep green orbs.  
  
"You and I both know that someone put Potter's name in the Goblet. Lord knows the boy would never want more attention drawn to him after everything in his life that happened." Mad-Eye's eyes lingered on Clara's face as she spoke.  
  
"You have come a long way from the doubtful girl she once was as she was never one to try to expand outside of her reach and normally was one to stand in the back of the crowd and allow other to lead." Mad-Eye explained, his head shaking slightly as his shadow danced along the back of the wall from the small flickering candle that illuminated on his desk. Clara stood there, listening to her old teacher's words as they too danced inside her head.  
  
"No doubt that those Death Eaters who tried to kill you a couple of weeks ago helped to push you out of your shell?" Clara's eyes narrowed. No doubt Dumbledore had informed the staff about what had happened to her that night, after all she was indeed part of the Old Order and half of the staff that teaches here at Hogwarts was in somehow or way connected to the Order. She remembered that terrible night that they had came and destroyed her house, leaving her for dead. But, she had managed to escape and she fled without them seeing her. Mad-Eye leaned over on to his desk as his gaze tried to pierce her mind to figure out a few things about the young woman before him.  
  
"I'd like to know just how you managed to escape them, Clara. You're a gifted wizard, but up against that many Death Eaters? How did you manage to escape?"  
  
"I used what you taught me a long time ago. I might be young, but things that I'm interested in seem to stick well with me." Clara couldn't help but smile, remembering how crazy Mad-Eye was really and everything that he had taught her in the past.  
  
"I also had my Animagus to thank for helping me escape. As soon as I transformed into my Doe, the Death Eaters seemed oblivious that I could even transform." Mad-Eye nodded, seeming to be pleased by the information. Suddenly, there was a loud cry of some type of creature that radiated from a large silver chest from the corner of the room. It startled Clara as she snapped her head toward the object, watching as it shook with such a strength that whatever was inside was trying to get out. Mad-Eye laughed at the startled Clara, she truly looked like a startled Doe.  
  
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Mad-Eye said, motioning toward the chest with a nod of his head. Clara just slowly nodded with a half turned head and her eyes still locked on the chest. She knew Mad-Eye too well, and guess that inside that chest was most likely some type of creature that he had planned on using for the class or something that he was keeping to himself until the right time.  
  
"Anyway, I do believe that you were right about young Mr. Potter. I don't believe that he would be stupid enough to put his own name in the Goblet or have someone else do it for him." Mad-Eye told her, drawing her attention back to him.  
  
"You believe it was a setup too?" Clara asked, raising a brow at the same reasoning Mad-Eye had as her. He nodded shifting slightly in his chair as he looked around the room and his voice lowered.  
  
"I believe that someone is out to get Potter. Someone who wants him dead. Because who else would dare to put his name in that blasted Goblet?" Clara nodded in agreement. But, who in the school could possibly want Harry Potter dead? Unless, it wasn't someone from within Hogwarts itself, but one of the teachers or students from the other schools that was here for the Tri-Wizard. There were so many suspects that Clara didn't know where to start because there were so many.  
  
"I promised Harry that I would figure out who put his name in that Goblet. I promised Sirius that I wouldn't let anything happen to Harry. I've got to figure out who put Harry's name in that Goblet and find them out before anything happens to him." Clara explained. Mad-Eye nodded, and informed her that he would assist when she needed help. She thanked him before leaving his room for the night and returning to her quarters within Hogwarts.  
  
She laid there in her bed and gazed out of the window and watched as the moon seemed to sway with the moving of the clouds. She frowned deeply before rolling over onto her side and facing away from the window before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. She knew that tomorrow she had a full day as she had to become a spy for not only Sirius Black, but Dumbledore as well and try to figure out just who it was that placed Harry's name in that Goblet of Fire.


	3. We'll Figure This Out Together

Clara watched on the edge of her seat as Harry was put up against a dragon. She feared that he would be burnt to a crisp and there was nothing that she could do. All she hoped was that he had managed to learn something that would help to keep him alive; and luckily he had. Harry summoned his broom and lead the dragon away from everyone else, later returning without a dragon on his tail and he was able to snatch up the Golden Egg. Clara had never felt so much pressure taken off her chest before, knowing that Harry was alright. Once the task was done and everyone had completed it, Clara went straight down to greet Harry and embrace him in a well needed hug. She clung on tightly to the boy as she placed her head in between his shoulder as she refused to let him go.  
  
"You scared me to death you git!" She scolded. He laughed lightly as he understood that she was afraid for him, but was still willing to joke about it all to keep everything as calm as possible.  
  
"But you did it and you're still alive, and that's all that matters." He pulled away from her and nodded. He had gotten away from this task more or less alive, but barely by a hair. He would never tell her just what happened to himself after he left and had the dragon chase him around Hogwarts, he didn't want to worry her anymore than he had to, so he kept it simple and to the point.  
  
"Have you figured out anything else about who put my name in the Goblet of Fire?" he questioned, wanting to know just who it was that had done it. Though, Clara's sad expression was enough to tell him that she still didn't have a single clue as to who put his name in the Goblet of Fire.  
  
"No. Not yet Harry. But, I will tell you that I have narrowed it down a lot with the help of Mad-Eye and Dumbledore." She reassured him. Harry seemed to be slightly revealed with the news. It was starting to turn out to be just how Clara had feared, whoever had placed Harry's name in that Goblet was certainly trying to set him up for an early grave. Clara was doing everything she could in order to find out just who it was that had placed his name in that blasted Goblet, and she believed that she was indeed getting closer to figuring it out. She only hoped that she would have it figured out before harm could come to Harry.  
  
"Get some rest Harry, you most certainly deserve it." Clara told him, patting his back after giving him one more side-ways hug. Harry nodded and walked away with the egg in his hands, only to be brought into a group of Gryffindor students who all cheered for him in winning. Clara just watched blankly as the children gathered around Harry and walked back with him to the castle. She sighed, figuring that she needed to go to see Mad-Eye now after having some questions about the dragon and about who could have been behind Harry's name being placed in that Goblet.

* * *

  
"You think the dragon was placed under a curse?" Clara asked him, disbelieve in her voice. Mad-Eye turned to her, his eyes on her like a bird on its prey.  
  
"Of course! Did you see the way Potter had such trouble with it compared to the others? It was a crude beast and nearly took his head off had it not been for his quick thinking on the broom!" Clara shook her head. She knew now that the reason behind Harry's name being placed in that blasted Goblet of Fire was so he could indeed be killed off and have it look like some type of freak accident for being entered into the tournament.  
  
"If that is indeed the case, and I'm _not_ saying that it is, Mad-Eye." Clara's voice raised slightly, causing Mad-Eye to fall silent and just watch her. "Then it must be Death Eaters."  
  
"Death Eaters? Ha! You honestly think they would be able to sneak past Dumbledore and do all of this? No, Dumbledore is too great of a wizard to allow Death Eaters to slip past him."  
  
"I know it's Death Eaters. I was attacked several months ago by them. They tried to kill me in my own home as they set it ablaze, Mad-Eye!" Clara shouted, trying to get her point across to her old friend. Her hand on her chest as her eyes showed the fear from that night that wasn't going to be forgotten anytime soon. Mad-Eye just looked at her curiously as he leaned forward on his desk as he eyed her sharply.  
  
"Have you informed Dumbledore about this theory about Death Eaters?" Clara shook her head. Mad-Eye nodded.  
  
"I'll make sure to tell him myself. If it is Death Eaters, than I'll find out, get to the bottom of everything. But, as of right now what I need you to do is to keep a close eye on Mr. Potter." Clara went to open her mouth to interject, but Mad-Eye raised his finger toward her and cut her off before she had the chance.  
  
"No buts Evans! I need you to do this for me. Be my eyes and ears since you're so close to him. Make sure that if anything happens, you report it directly to me, not Dumbledore, understood?" Clara sighed, but nodded her head. She agreed with Mad-Eye one-hundred and ten percent on this, knowing that he had more knowledge in dealing with Death Eaters than she could ever dream about. She knew that with reporting into Mad-Eye, it could leave Dumbledore's troubling mind on the Tri-Wizard that he was intrusted to take care of. Mad-Eye was Dumbledore's long time friend, so she knew that he would take care of anything that was of concern to her or Harry.  
  
She only hoped that whatever this was that was happening, and whoever it was that was behind it all, that they would be able to stop it or them before something horrid happened.


	4. I'm Only A Crack in this Castle of Glass

The tournament was underway and time was slipping through Clara's fingers like sand through an hour glass. She knew that with this second task quickly approaching she had to figure something out before it was too late. Though she had promised Moody that she wouldn't go to Dumbledore about this, she never said anything about going to someone else for help. That was why she found herself in the cellar of Hogwarts faced with a man whom she could hardly stand as she was prepared to work with him hand-in-hand on figuring out just what was going on under everyone's noses.  
  
"And what makes you believe that I would help you?" Snape's dull voice called out. His eyes were slightly narrowed to a glare and yet still held a curious look about them. Clara huffed, knowing that it was going to be difficult to get the man on her side of things, but she didn't figure that it would have been this hard to do so.  
  
"Because, you use to be the DADA teacher once. You know your way around the Dark Arts fairly well and I need someone like you to help me." Snape stood there next to his potions table for a moment, seeming to ponder on the offer before he turned his dark eyes away and answered with a very cold and numbing voice.  
  
"Sorry, but I'm afraid I'm far too busy." Her mouth dropped. Snape had now turned away from her and held his back to her, hoping that she would leave him in peace and he could get back to doing what he was doing before she interrupted him. Too bad for him that Clara Evans had changed into a bit of a bolder type of woman since the last time he had seen her, or else she would have been up those stairs without trying a second time to get him to join her.  
  
"Severus, I need your help!" she put it bluntly. The man turned back around the face her after the loudness of her voice echoed through his classroom, startling the man slightly. He had expected her to leave, but instead she staid there and looked up at him with those fiery green orbs that nearly seemed to torment him.  
  
"Look, everyone here is in danger. Someone went through enough trouble to outsmart Dumbledore's magic and place Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire and made sure that his name would be pulled. After that I believe there was a curse put on his dragon due to the sheer amount of power and anger the fire-beast had. Look, I don't care if you don't believe me, but someone is out to get Harry and I won't stand around and wait till it's too late for someone else to help. Just please, help me figure out something!" Snape stood there for a moment and allowed her words to sink into his brain. He would never admit it aloud, but she was making some sense, so he knew that she had spent time actually looking into this and she was rather serious about it.  
  
"Listen closely," he stated, honestly not wanting to help her at all, but wanting her to leave him be so he could get back to work. "I don't know who, and I don't know why, but someone has been sneaking into my stash of Polyjuice potion little by little. Perhaps whoever has done everything that you've assumed has happened, they've also been dipping into my potions."  
  
"So what you're saying is... it could be anybody. Seriously, it could _literally_ be anybody." Clara's eyes widened as she slowly backed into the classroom counter and stood there for a moment, balancing herself from the new discovery. Snape watched her, he could see the gears in her head turning and working as she tried to figure something out, but was struggling greatly.  
  
"Thank you, Professor. I'll add this to the list and go from there." she told him, pushing herself off the counter and giving him a small smile. His face was unreadable like always as she turned and left his classroom and headed back up to the upper levels of the school.  
  
She knew that is was important to report this back to Moody, but something kept telling her to keep it to herself. She didn't know what it was, but her faith in everyone at Hogwarts now had dwindled since learning about the Polyjuice potion. She knew that it wasn't Snape, and it wasn't Dumbledore. There were still so many people who it could have been that she honestly didn't have time to scratch them all off the list. So, she would have to go with the people who were simply closest to Harry. She knew that this person had to have gained his trust in order to get close enough to him so that he wouldn't notice a difference in their behavior.  
  
Clara decided that she would think about more of it tomorrow and that it would be best if she were simply to return to her room for the night. Heading to her room that was given to her by Dumbledore for her stay at Hogwarts she entered into the small and cozy room. It wasn't much, but it was home. A small fireplace lit the tiny bedroom that was large enough for a one person bed and a chair that sat in front of the fire. The room was a mossy green and held one window that had a beautiful view out to the moat and lake of the school. There was a small writing desk in front of the window and an even smaller and tall bookcase that had six or seven shelves and many books. A small wardrobe was right next to the door where Clara had placed her clothes.  
  
It was small, but it was nice. Walking over to the fire place she lit it with a flick of her wand and the wood started crackling and the area started warming the area nicely. Just as Clara started to walk away she heard what sounded like someone talking very lowly, but didn't know where it was coming from. Turning around, she heard and seen more crackling from the fireplace than there should have been and noticed a face started to form in the hot coals.  
  
"Clara. Clara, can you hear me?" Her eyes widened and a large grin came to her face as she was quick to leap down onto her knees in front of the fireplace and greet her unexpected visitor.  
  
"Sirius! What are you doing here?" Her voice was low so as to not draw unwanted attention to her room. Sirius couldn't help but smile, happy to see that she was doing well and pleased to see him.  
  
"I don't have much time to talk, but I just wanted to see how things are coming along?" Her smile quickly faded and was replaced with a rather serious and worried expression.  
  
"To be honest, Sirius, I'm afraid I'm in way over my head on this one."  
  
"What do you mean? From what I understood from Harry is that you were doing perfectly fine. What's happened?" She sighed, not really sure how to inform him about the new information that she had received tonight.  
  
"Severus said that someone has been dipping into his Polyjuice stash, which means that whoever it is that's out to get Harry--"  
  
"Could be anybody!" Clara nodded as Sirius finished her sentence. Even though his face seemed to be carved out of the coal and firewood from the fireplace she could still make out the worried look upon his face.  
  
"Don't worry Clara, I know that you're a smart girl from all the praise that Remus has given you. I know that you'll figure this all out in time." Clara felt her heart sink from the mention of Remus.  
  
"Hey, Sirius, how is..." she paused before looking away at a random wall in the room. Sirius waited for a long moment, wondering if she was going to continue on with her question, only for the question to fall into the air as she turned back to him.  
  
"I'll do my up most best in finding out all that I can and stopping whoever this is that put Harry's name in the Goblet." Sirius couldn't help but smile, knowing that Clara was doing the best that she could in order to protect Harry. It had been a long time since he had last seen her, when she was little, but he always knew that she would grow up and do great things, he just never expected that one of those great things would be to protect Harry with everything that she had.  
  
"I know you will, Clara. I believe in you. Good luck." And with that Sirius was gone as his face disappeared back into the fireplace. She was alone once again in her room. Clara sat there for a long while and just gazed into the crackling fire that slowly started to burn out. She thought about many things before she decided to call it a night.  
 

And one of those many things just happened to be about a certain werewolf and how he was doing.


	5. Wash The Sorrow Off My Skin and Show Me How To Be Whole Again

It was extremely dark out as Clara raced through the woods in her Doe state. She didn't understand why she was running, but she knew that whatever the reason; she was frightened. Her breaths came out in a fast pace and started to become that much faster when she heard a deep growling howl behind her. Her four legs felt like they were on fire from how she sprinted through the forest, up and over fallen logs and around large rocks and trees as she tried to our run what was chasing her. She dared not look behind, knowing that it would only slow her down and whatever was behind her was out for blood. She heard it becoming closer and closer and before she knew it, it had caught up with her. Suddenly she knew it was Remus as the full-moon hung up above through the shrouded treetops as she galloped through the mossy area.  
  
He was snorting and growling, feeling his deathly yellow eyes on her back as his mouth was just watering ready to take a bite out of her. Suddenly, there was a clearing and she saw that this could be her one chance to get away from him before something horrible happened. There was no reasoning with Remus at this point, there never was, so she had to run. She had to make it to that opening before he drug her down and split her open and just ripped into her with his sharpened teeth. Terror shot through her core which in turn caused her to run that much faster toward the exit. She was so close, so very close that with just a few more long strides and she would have made it. But, Remus was barreling down on her from behind, making it seem as if all hope was lost, but then she had managed to push off a log and with one great leap; she made it.  
  
When she landed, she noticed that she was in an open area and the woods had ended up surrounding her. Her Doe head flicked about with lightening speed when she noticed that she was cornered all around by woodland and that she was trapped like a rat. Hearing a snort and a low growl come from behind she froze. He was so close to her now and crawling toward her as he prepared to pounce. Slowly she turned to face him, his eyes were staring down at her as his mouth hung open wide and showed his fangs that he bared at her. She knew now that her only chance of getting out of here was to fight him off. However, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him, but she also didn't want to die. She decided that it was best to change back into her human form.  
  
Slowly, she changed while Remus waited for her to turn back into a human. Once she had finished she watched him carefully as she slowly wrapped her hand around to reach for her wand. Their eyes were locked in a long standing stare down as neither one was prepared to budge unless it was to attack or defend. Clara's fingers reached out, but they could not locate her wand. Panic spread through her as she did not know as to the whereabouts of her wand; her one and only chance to survive. Suddenly, a pain shot through her neck and she cried out. She started to feel cold as she lowered herself to her knees, Remus still watching her from his spot. She placed her hand on her shoulder and felt the warmth of blood slipping down from a bite mark; the bite mark Remus had given her the night at Hogwarts.  
  
Suddenly, pain filled her entire body as every muscle and bone felt like it was going to be ripped out from her skin. She screamed out in agony and gripped her shoulder, trying to bare the pain and figure out what was happening to her. Bending over she could no longer hold onto her shoulder and so she reached out for the grass and gripped onto the dark green layers, her fingers sinking deep into the soil. And that was when she noticed the moon was full. Remus had turned into a werewolf and since he had bitten her, she too was starting to transform into one. She watched helplessly as her body started to bend and twist in unimaginable ways that made her feel as if she was going to die. The pain was unbearable as she screamed out, wanting everything to just stop.  
  
Remus watched her as her clothes were ripped from her body and orange fur covered her now werewolf like state. Her once green eyes had turned a bright yellow just like his own as they turned up to look at him. She growled, she was still smaller than Remus due to her being a female, but she looked to be much stronger than his old and scared body. She looked at him with such hate in her eyes as she growled deeply, unable to control the beast that had caused her to change. Suddenly, and without warning, she launched toward Remus and sunk her very teeth into his own neck. He screamed out in pain as her teeth ripped holes everywhere on his body as she took out the hate and anger on his old werewolf body, tearing him to shreds.  
  
" _No!!_ " Clara jolted up from her bed, nearly falling off it in the process. Her whole face was covered in sweat from the nightmare she had just had. She looked around the room and noticed that she was still in her bedroom at Hogwarts during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Her breaths came out quick and shallow as she tried gasping for air from the vivid nightmare. She felt extremely sick to her stomach and her shoulder felt to be on fire causing her to reach up and trace through her shirt the teeth marks Remus had left on her that night. She tried to calm herself down, knowing that there was no way that she would ever transform. Shortly after she had been bitten by Remus there was another full-moon. She had been fully prepared to transform and had made sure to lock herself away so no one would be hurt by her.  
  
She staid in that locked room for the whole night until morning, never once did she transform. After her confusion she deicded to take it to the books, trying to figure out everything that she could about why she hadn't transformed; that's when she found it. She understood by what she read that due to DNA there are very few people who are unable to receive the werewolf strand of DNA through a bite. Other possible means would be either to engage in senxual activities or sharing blood, but she could not have it transmitted through his bite. Clara sighed, her biggest fear had became a nightmare and haunted her this very night. Placing her feet on the side of the bed, she knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep for a while after a dream like that one.  
  
She pushed herself off the bed and walked over to the chair that was directly in front of the fireplace. She took a seat and watched as the flames had died down to a mere crackle and flicker every so often. As Clara sat there she thought about everything from that dream. She thought about Remus mostly and then found herself wondering how he was fairing when the full-moon came about. It worried her greatly, more than ever now that she wasn't on speaking terms with him as of late. He just couldn't see past forgiving his self for what he had done to her. That mark on her shoulder would never vanish, because the marks of a werewolf would last a lifetime. That's why Remus was so covered in them, when he would transform he would hurt himself in order to keep from hurting others.  
  
Clara winced that there mere thought of Remus harming himself over something that he had no control over. It wasn't right that he had to have been the one to have been bitten. It wasn't right that he feared becoming close to people out of regret that he would hurt them or turn them into what he was. It wasn't right, and she wished that it was her instead of him. What she would give to have Remus live a normal life and not have to suffer the changes during a full-moon. Feeling the tears prickle at the corner of her eyes, she knew that she was preparing to cry from all the thinking she was doing as she sat there alone and in the darkened room. But, she couldn't help it. Remus Lupin was her friend and she cared greatly for him. She wanted nothing more than to help and ease his suffering just as he had done for her over the many years that she had known him.  
  
Clara's glazed eyes turned from the fireplace and over toward the window by her bed. The moon was setting which told her that she was only going to get perhaps a couple more hours of sleep before she would be required to get up and join everyone in the Great Hall for breakfast. She sighed, knowing that it would be best had she went back to sleep, but her mind was far too boggled with worry over that dream and Remus for her to return to bed. So instead she placed her hands on the side of the chair and pushed herself up and walked over to the dresser and changing out of her nightly attire and into her robes that she wore around Hogwarts. Making sure to grab her wand off the nightstand, Clara then headed for the door where she opened it and closed it quietly. Since she wasn't going to be able to get any sleep, she decided that it would be best to go for a walk around the grounds, although she knew she would regret it later when she was sleep deprived.

* * *

  
Things were becoming increasingly difficult for Clara to manage as the months slowly started to drag onward to the point where Halloween had rolled around, which gave the students the time to be able to go home and allowing some of the teachers to leave as well. Clara was one of them that Dumbledore informed it would be good of her to go back home and rest for a while. However, Clara declined and informed him that there was still much work that she needed to do. But, it seemed that the old wizard seemed to have a few tricks up his sleeve and had somehow managed to get her to go back home either way. So, it was then that she returned to that old house where Sirius lived and where she was welcomed back home with open arms and a warm smile.  
  
It had been a long year for Clara thus far, having so much worry on her mind about Harry and then surprisingly so many nightmares started to plead her once peaceful nights. Even though she was doing everything she could to hide just how tired she was, Sirius could see right through her and it worried him greatly. So, later that night during dinner time Sirius looked to Clara and with a small effort, he placed his hand over top of hers which caused her to turn her attention from her meal over to him. She looked at the older man in the eyes, seeing the worry that was held within.  
  
"Clara, something's bothering you." He knew that there was something deeply bothering the poor girl, because he had never seen her like this before. There were bags starting to form underneath her eyes and her mood had been up and down lately ever since she had returned from Hogwarts for the break.  
  
"I'm sorry Sirius." Was all she managed to say, causing the man before her to turn toward her and place both his hands on either side of her face to look deeply into her eyes. A deep frown crossed his lips as the worry only grew more in his eyes as he shook his head slowly.  
  
"Clara, there isn't anything for you to be sorry about. What have you done to make you feel as if you need to say those words?" Honestly she didn't know, but she felt as if she was responsible for something that had happened this past school year. Maybe if she had done something differently, perhaps if she had been there at the start of Hogwarts's school year then this would have never have happened to Harry. He would have never had gotten his name placed in the Goblet of Fire and he would be safe this year.  
  
"I'm just worried about Harry. I feel like I could have done something to have stopped this from happening." Sirius's gaze became softer than before, showing her that he cared deeply for the overly-protective girl that was sitting in front of him. He sighed deeply, wondering what the right words to say would be to make everything better. He thought for a moment, wondering what Remus would tell her right now. What would his friend say in order to make her feel better and to make her feel as if none of this was her fault?  
  
"Clara, listen to me. Nothing is your fault. If anything you're actually doing the very best thing possible by going out of your way and trying to help Harry. You're doing a lot more than what most would do, and I respect that and love that about you." Clara could no longer look at Sirius, too embarrassed from his little pick-up speech. She smiled softly, knowing that he was after all a good man and only wanted the best for both her and Harry.  
  
"I feel honored to know someone like you, Clara Evans. Someone as brave and smart as yourself. Not to mention rather cute, which is a plus." She snorted, the blush no longer able to keep from her face. Pulling her face from his hands she leaned back and noticed that playful smirk that lingered on his lips. That smirk is what pulled that silly little grin right straight to her own lips. Before they knew it the both of them started sharing a good and cheerful laugh, what it was about well neither of them really knew, but did they really need such a reason to laugh together?  
  
"Thank you Sirius." Clara finally managed to say after the laughter had died down somewhat. Sirius's eyes turned back down to her and he still wore that warm smile upon his lips as he looked upon her face.  
  
"No, thank you Clara Evans."


End file.
